As a Christian you are going to be different than everyone else. In todays society, not swearing is stupid, refusing to go to parties or get drunk is boring, and waiting to have sex till marriage is ridiculous. As a teenager in todays society I find that being the outcast in a lot of situations can be very challenging. It’s hard to choose not to participate in something that all of your friends are doing, even if it’s something that doesn’t bring glory to God. The reason for this being that it is simply human nature to want to fit in.
Recently I was put into a situation where I should have been the odd one out but failed to do so. Although I never took part in the swearing and the drinking, I didn’t stand out because I chose to act like it was normal. I laughed at the dirty jokes and said a few things that I shouldn’t have. I was too caught up in wanting to fit in that I completely ignored God telling me that this was wrong and that I should be standing up for him instead of sitting back and doing nothing.
Sometimes it’s easy to believe that Christians aren’t allowed to have any fun, but that is far from the truth. I can tell you first hand that it is very easy to have lots of fun while honoring God. Besides is it really worth it? Is trying to be “cool” for one night worth dishonoring God? It doesn’t matter if your considered normal for 3 hours because no one will even remember that. Do you know what people will remember? People will remember you when you don’t participate in their immoral activities. They will remember when you stand up for what you believe in.
Everyone knows that story of Peter, the disciple who always stood up for Christ. He was the last person you would have ever thought would deny Jesus, but that is exactly what he did. Peter denied Jesus three times before the rooster crowed twice. The awesome thing is even though Peter denied Christ, his story didn't end in shame and guilt. After the resurrection, Jesus restored Peter and told him to "feed my sheep." Soon Peter was preaching and continuing to live for Jesus until he was martyred for his faith!
The thing you should remember from Peters story is that it does not have to end with shame! We all slip up sometimes you just have to remember that you can't allow your guilt and shame to stop you from coming back to Jesus. Are you going to allow Satan to use your shame to hold you back? Or are you going to boldly proclaim that you are a follower of Christ and that he died so we could have life?
The simple truth is that you should never EVER be ashamed to stand up for God. Because he MADE you. Because he sent his son to die on the cross so that you could be forgiven and have eternal life through him. God did all of this for YOU. The least you could do is stand up for him.
“I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God that brings salvation to everyone who believes: first to the Jew, then to the Gentile.” Romans 1:16
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